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(No Model'.) i 4 VG; W. WATSON.

Pants Protector.l

No. 239,01f1f.` y Paten-ted March 22";1881.

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'(.PETEl-S.l PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D Cy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. WATSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- EIGHTHS TO ETHAN H. CUTLER, OF SAME PLACE.

PANTS-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,074, dated March 22, 1881. Application filed J une 14, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin Pants-Protectors; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it 1o appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful,

as well as very neat and portable, device for preventing the lower edges of pants, 'at the heel, from coming in contact with the ground on rainy or muddy days, and thus preventing the lower edges of the pants from getting soiled;

zo and this invention consists of an elastic rubber band adapted to tit closely around the heel or counter of a boot and shoe, and provided with au extension that serves as a rest `for the bottom of the pants, for the purpose set forth.

The invention is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, on which- Figure l represents a perspective view of 3o my pants-protector, and Fig. 2represents a side view of the same as applied to a boot or shoe.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings. l

a represents the elastic rubber band, and b represents the projecting arm attached thereto, which is preferably alsomade of rubber or similar yielding material and attached to the said rubberl band a in any suitable manner,

4o the whole forming one piece, as shown in Fig. l, the `outer end of the projecting arm b extending upwardly to form a hook or spur, b',

the object of which is to catch the lower edge of the pants-leg and prevent it slipping rearwardly off the arm.

Although I prefer to make both the band a and projecting arm b of rubber, still I do not wish to confine myself to this exact material, as the gist of the invention is the elastic band a, with its projectingarm or rest b, as described, 5o and for the purpose set forth.

When the invention is to be used it is only needed to expand the rubber strap-a far enough to allow it to encompass the heel o or counter of a boot or shoe, as shown in Fig. 2, in which position `it is firmly retained by the elasticity ofthe band a. In said position the rear edge d of the pants is prevented from falling down any lower than the upper edge of the projection b, on which it is made to rest, as shown 6o in Fig. 2, by which the rear of the pants is protected from mud and dirt.

When not required for use the device may easily be washed and cleaned and folded together in a small space, so as to be carried in the pocket or elsewhere ready for use when so required.

Heretofore a shield for boots and shoes has been made in which the shield is clamped upon the heel and counter by a metallic spring-Wire, as in Patent No. 118,201; but such is not my invention.

What I Wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim is- A pantaloons-protector in which are com- 75 bined the elastic expansible ring a and the attached projecting arm b, having atits outer end the hook or spur bf, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony' whereof I have affixed my sig- 8o nature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGEl W. IWATSON.

Witnesses: ALBAN ANDEN,

DANIEL MoDo'NALD. 

